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Thursday, 2 January 2014

A Year of Reading...Done!

In January 2013 I entered the Goodreads reading challenge setting myself at 100 books to be read in 2013.

I can very proudly say, I met my challenge!!!

I read 101 books in the year. I will admit that a few of them were re-reads, but I still count them towards the goal!

Toward the end of the year I suffered through some very frantic reading. I had let myself fall behind and wasn't sure I would make the goal. However, after a couple "light" reads, I found myself back on track.

Below is the list of books I read in 2013 and I have arranged them but my star ratings.

ONE STAR (books I really hated)

Message In A Bottle - Nicholas Sparks - predictable romantic tragedy

Disgrace - J.M. Coetzee - depressing & dark

The Pact - Jodi Picouolt - everything wrong with Generation X

Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf - self indulgent tripe

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn - sadistic, boring, predictable

The Things We Cherished - Pam Jenoff - disappointing

Midnight in Austenland - Shannon Hale - a disgrace to all things Austen

The Choice - Robert Whitlow - proving again how banal Christian lit can be

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes - a quad intent on euthanasia? how thrilling.

The Dinner - Herman Koch - pretentious useless crap

TWO STARS(books I didn't mind/tolerated)

[series]Mud City - Deborah Ellis - the third book of a trilogy that betrayed me

[series]The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan BradleyThe Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag - Alan BradleyA Red Herring Without Mustard - Alan BradleyI Am Half Sick of Shadows - Alan BradleySpeaking from Among the Bones - Alan BradleyI loved all these books. A series well worth the read.A Game of Thrones - George Martin - the book that started the GOT craze. I'm still sad about Ned Stark.A Clash of Kings - George Martin - easily as good as the first book in the series, ACOK brings it all back, although some complain that this book has too much military strategy clogging it upA Storm of Swords - George Martin - better than two and four, although slow at the endingA Feast for Crows - George Martin - seriously, the worst book of the series. thank God Martin gets it together in the next novel.A Dance with Dragons - George Martin - after a horrible fourth book, ADWD brings back the typical Martin craziness. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashares -the first novel that started it all, this is the best one of the entire seriesThe Second Summer of the Sisterhood - Ann Brashares - ditto, as aboveGirls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood - Ann Brashares -typical sisterhood novel

[fiction]Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese - rich description, grand story, historical fiction, eye popping, very much enjoyed this storyMajor Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson - easy quick sweet readWhy Grizzly Bears Should Wear Underpants - The Oatmeal - comic relief. I guffawed out loud while reading.The Good Dream - Donna VanLiere - I loved this book. It's about tied for my favourite for 2013 reads. A story of love and redemption.Jericho Season 3 - Dan Shotz - A bit of cheat read, but a great graphic novel continuance on the cancelled showShelter Me - Juliette Fay - a young mother learning how to deal with immense loss. I love this book, probably more than it deserves.Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford - very enjoyable. the main character was so endearing.The Scarlet Pimpernel - Emmuska Orczy - A classic must readBanker - Dick Francis - I love all of Francis's books and wish they were movies or tv shows. This one is particularly tragic.N or M? - Agatha Christie - the queen of mystery, a quick read, like meeting an old friend for a chat.Evil Under the Sun - Agatha Christie - she's back with a classic Poirot. I enjoyed this re-read.Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman - a master at his craft, I'm so glad I discovered Gaiman this yearMrs. Mike - Benedict Freedman - Perfect for Canadians, a romance growing in the darkness of the truth northThe Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon - gothic, dark, creepy, historic fiction...absolute must read!The Soldier's Wife - Margaret Leroy - probably too highly rated, but I loved the descriptions in this novelThe Lost Wife - Alyson Richman - my favourite novel of 2013, I believe. so wonderful and heart-breaking.Those Who Save Us - Jenna Blum - I read many historical fiction novels this year about WWII. this one was a good one.The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak - As with above, historical fiction about WWII but written in the strangest format I have ever seen...highly recommend. Plunge through the confusion.

Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier - this novel puts Kate Morton's work in her place. the start of gothic romance, this is a creepy novel in which we never learn the main character's name![non-fiction]Escape from Camp 14 - Blaine Harden - shocking memoir of life in the work camps of North KoreaA House in the Sky - Amanda Lindhout - best non-fiction book I read this year. shocking memoir of a Canadian woman taken by Somalians and held for 460 days. gut wrenching. FIVE STARS(books I LOVED)Goodnight Mister Tom - Michelle Magorian - a novel for kids, a must read, disturbing elements but sweet at the endFall of Giants - Ken Follett - best historical fiction novel I have ever read. highly recommend.Winter of the World - Ken Follett - a follow up to Fall of Giants, this novel was also amazing and a very gripping read. I learned so much from both of his books.A Dog's Purpose - W. Bruce Cameron - the sweetest book I have read about a dog. I loved it. I can't say more for fear of spoiling it, but do read it if you have a dog or love dogs. And there you have it! All of my book in a list. I realize it's probably very overwhelming to read the entire list, but I hope you at least peruse the four or five star categories as many of those novels are must reads! This year I won't be setting such a high challenge as I will be busy...GETTING MARRIED!What are your New Year's reading challenges?